Hillary Clinton slams ‘shameful’ delay in release of report probing Russian interference in British politics saying ‘people deserve to know’ its findings BEFORE the election
- ‘Every person who votes’ in UK deserves to see report before election, she says
- Report by Intelligence and Security Committee has not been released by No 10
- Hillary called the decision: ‘Inexplicable and shameful. You’re having an election’
- She used BBC interviews to say she wants to hug Meghan Markle over racism
Hillary Clinton waves outside the BBC yesterday where she spoke to Radio 4 and 5Live and slammed the ‘shameful’ delay in release of report probing Russian interference in British politics
Hillary Clinton today slammed the ‘shameful’ delay in releasing a report probing Russian interference in British politics saying ‘people deserve to know’ its findings before the election.
She told the BBC she is ‘dumbfounded’ by the decision and believes ‘every person who votes’ in the UK should see it before Britain goes to the polls on December 12.
The former presidential candidate spoke out while touring British radio studios with her daughter Chelsea promoting their new book ‘Gutsy Women’.
The BBC has been accused of ‘rolling out the red carpet’ for Mrs Clinton who herself has been accused of ‘interfering’ in British politics during the general election campaign.
The report by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) was sent to the Prime Minister for approval on October 17 – but it has been held up.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Mrs Clinton said the delay was disgraceful given the upcoming election, referencing the proven Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
The former secretary of state said: ‘I’m dumbfounded that this Government won’t release the report about Russian influence. Because every person who votes in this country deserves to see that report before your election happens.
‘That should be an absolute condition. There is no doubt – we know it in our country, we have seen it in Europe, we have seen it here [Britain], that Russia in particular is determined to try to shape the politics of Western democracies, not to our benefit, but to theirs.
‘People deserve to know what is in that report. We had a somewhat similar problem in 2016.’
Although there has been no indication of the precise contents of the report, it will assess the threat posed by Moscow to Britain’s democratic processes following an 18-month inquiry into illicit Russian activities in Britain.
The Sunday Times previously claimed nine Russian business people who have donated money to the Conservative Party were named in the dossier.
Chelsea Clinton (left) and Hillary Clinton are in London promoting their book ‘Gutsy Women’, which they co-wrote
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve, who has seen the report, has stressed its publication is essential ahead of the General Election, as it contains information ‘germane’ to voters.
A report into Russian interference in the US presidential election in 2016 found illegal interference from Moscow occurred in a ‘sweeping and systemic fashion’, according to special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mrs Clinton stressed the importance of the UK security report being made public before the General Election to allow voters to make informed decisions.
She continued: ‘(Donald) Trump and his campaign were under investigation for their connections with Russia, and Russians, and Russian cutouts and Russian agents, and others promoting Russian interests.
‘And the public didn’t know before the election. And I would hate to see that happen here. Whatever the outcome.
‘ don’t know what’s in it, any more than anybody else does. But certainly, people who are about to vote in a month or so deserve to know what is in a report that one has to speculate must have something of concern, otherwise why wouldn’t it be publicly disclosed?’
Mr Grieve, chairman of the ISC, has accused the PM of sitting on the report ahead of the December 12 vote.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and a Downing Street spokesman have said the machinery of government is the reason for the delay in publication.
Mr Shapps said that while he was not close to the report, the delay is ‘just the usual way that purdah works’ and incumbent governments are not allowed to publish anything controversial in the run-up to an election.